Making a Difference tourneys help fund college wrestling
“Making a Difference” tournaments are a new program where USA Wrestling and its state associations are providing quality competitions with net proceeds donated directly to college wrestling. So far this season, there have been Making a Difference tournaments in Oregon, Illinois and Tennessee, all which have been huge successes. For these events, USA Wrestling pro-
vides: • A free one-day membership for all non-members
• Customized awards
• Marketing and promotional assistance • Clinics, t-shirts and other benefits. The entry fee for these events is $10, all of which goes to college wrestling. Making a Difference is a new program that reflects USA Wrestling’s strong com- mitment to creating opportunities for wrestlers of all ages and skill levels. College wrestling is a critical part of this cycle but has come under attack in recent years. Because there is an undeniably strong link between college wrestlers and
youth programs, every program that is lost has a ripple effect across the country and across all levels of wrestling. A Making a Difference tournament in Oregon attracted almost 1,000 competi- tors and raised nearly $10,000 for college wrestling.
In Illinois, almost $4,000 was raised for college wrestling and almost 400 athletes participated at a Making a Difference Tournament.
There were almost 800 entries in the
Tenneseee event, coming from numerous states within the region. The organizers raised $8,000 for college wrestling. A live webcast of the event was provided. Proceeds from the events go to college programs within the state, and also help fund the efforts of the National Wrestling Coaches Association to protect and develop college wrestling opportunities. Clinics are held at each of these
events, providing quality instruction to young athletes, while educating them about the challenges facing college wrestling and why these events are
important to its survival. Les Gutches, who serves as USA
Wrestling’s Director of Program Development, is excited about the devel- opment of this program.
“They have proven to be successful so
far,” said Gutches. “They leverage USA Wrestling’s existing network and our base to create a financial resource for college wrestling. More importantly, they create relationships between our state leaders and college coaches. They raise aware- ness of college wrestling. They also get college athletes in front of our youth wrestlers, which helps raise the profile of these athletes as role models.”
31 USA Wrestler
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